Cuomo steps up pension system probe

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is stepping up his three-year probe into suspected abuse of the New York’s $130 billion public employee pension system, which is putting an additional strain on taxpayers.

Cuomo today announced that his investigation into the manipulation of salary and overtime payments that leads to inflated pensions at the expense of taxpayers, known as “pension padding” or “pension spiking,” has expanded to include 25 additional localities across New York state—including Buffalo, and several other Western New York cities, towns, and villages.

“As the state and nation are gripped by the current economic crisis, we must make sure that taxpayers are not saddled with any artificially inflated bills,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “My office will continue our efforts to ensure that our pension system, which controls $130 billion and serves more than 1 million people across the state, is efficient and waste-free.”

A total of 64 localities have been put on notice, in three separate mailings, their pension costs are under scrunity. Here is the list, including the mailing dates:

Letters sent April 1

Town of Cheektowaga (Erie)

Town of Lancaster (Erie)

Town of Tonawanda (Erie)

Town of West Seneca (Erie)

Town of Ellicott (Chautauqua)

City of North Tonawanda (Niagara)

City of Dunkirk (Chautauqua)

City of Buffalo (Erie)

City of Olean (Cattaraugus)

Village of Depew (Erie)

Village of Kenmore (Erie)

St. Paul Boulevard Fire District (Monroe)

Henrietta Fire District (Monroe)

Ridge Road Fire District (Monroe)

City of Rochester (Monroe)

Town of Laurens (Otsego)

Town of Pittsfield (Otsego)

City of Cortland (Cortland)

Village of Herkimer (Herkimer)

City of Syracuse (Onondaga)

City of Norwich (Chenango)

City of Binghamton (Broome)

City of Cohoes (Albany )

 City of Schenectady (Schenectady)

 City of Watervliet (Albany)

 

Letters sent March 24

Westchester County (Westchester)

City of Yonkers (Westchester)

Town of Clarkstown (Rockland)

Town of Orangetown (Rockland)

Town of Ramapo (Rockland)

County of Rockland (Rockland)

Fairview Fire District (Westchester)

Greenville Fire District (Westchester)

Hartsdale Fire District Commission (Westchester)

Town of Stony Point (Rockland)

Westchester Health Care Corporation (Westchester)

 

Letters sent March 18

Nassau County (Nassau)

Suffolk County (Suffolk)

City of Glen Cove (Nassau)

Village of Old Westbury (Nassau)

Village of Hempstead (Nassau)

Lewis County (Lewis)

Village of Lynbrook (Nassau)

Fairview Fire District (Dutchess)

Town of Massena (St. Lawrence)

Saratoga County (Saratoga)

Ulster County (Ulster)

Putnam County (Putnam)

Steuben County (Steuben)

Wyoming County (Wyoming)

Broome County (Broome)

City of Utica (Oneida)

Erie County (Erie)

NYS Department of Health

NYS Department of Transportation

NYS Department of Correctional Services

NYS Power Authority

NYS Teachers Retirement System

Nassau Health Care Corporation

Pilgrim Psychiatric Center

Port Authority of NY & NJ

Roswell Park Cancer Institute

SUNY Health Science Center Brooklyn

Thruway Authority

 

Watch for more in Al Vaughters’ reports tonight on News 4 at 5:00 & 6:00.